Metal Gear Solid: Joint World Operations
by Ricky Sparks
Summary: Shiek always wanted to get out and live. Now, on a mission from the Goddesses, she wishes she was back in Zelda's mind. What happens when she gets sent to New York, 2011 along side the Legendary Solid Snake and his apprentice, Raiden? Read and Review.
1. New Lands

[Hyrule: Year 1012 New Hylian era (NH)]

In the land of Hyrule stands a temple. A monument to the Goddesses, standing over ten floors tall plus a basement. Known as the Temple of Time, it is the bind that ties the flow of history and future into a single, coherent stream. In this temple, there stands the princess-turned-queen, Zelda. After the death of her father, she took the throne and began improving her kingdom since Ganandorf's takeover. Hearing the call of the Goddesses, she entered the temple and proceeded to the Chamber of the Sages. Within its walls she heard grave news. The Goddesses presented themselves to here in a translucent presence. Din, the Goddess of Power and Substance, sat in the air before Queen Zelda on a magnificent throne of fire, very business-like. Nayru, the Goddess of Courage and Life, sat floating as well, though more relaxed, fingers entwined with each other over her knees as she sat cross-legged on a throne of ice. Farore, the Goddess of Wisdom, Law and Order, sat on a floating throne of wood and leaves, somewhere between business and casualness.

"The future is grim, young ruler of Hyrule," Din said.

"Much destruction will come to your world," Nayru added.

"Chaos will engulf the world if action is not taken." Farore finished.

"I seek your wisdom and guidance, Great Ones. What must I do to prevent what you have shown me?" Zelda asked.

After a vision of great metal behemoths destroying society and taking innocent lives needlessly, she wished with all her being to prevent it.

"We need someone of great skill and subtlety," Nayru replied.

"I will fetch Link, my Goddess."

"No!" Din yelled, holding her hand up to halt Zelda's rise to bring Link.

"We need someone else. Someone you've traveled with and have seen perform through her eyes. We need the Warrior Named of her People," Farore explained.

"The Warrior Named of her People?" Zelda asked.

"Yes," Nayru answered. "The one you call, 'Sheik'. We need her as a stealth operative in another era, hence meeting us at the Temple of Time."

"I understand." Zelda said, bowing.

"Come and lie on the alter," Farore said, pointing toward the Altar of the Spiritual Stones.

As Zelda lay there upon the altar, the Goddesses started chanting in ancient the Hylian tongue. Soon, Zelda felt a familiar presence, the warrior, Sheik All of a sudden, that familiarity turned to blistering, white hot, head-splitting pain. After a few seconds, which seemed an eternity, Sheik lay there on the altar next to Zelda.

"We've endowed Sheik with the knowledge of what must be done," one of the Goddesses said, though, which one, Zelda couldn't tell. Before passing out, she saw Sheik sucked up into a great beam of light.

[New York: Year: 2011 AD]

Snake rose from his bed. Checking clock on his nightstand, he realized he'd been woken up at-

"3:37 in the GOD DAMN MORNING, OTACON! This better be important!"

"It is, Snake. I've found intel pointing to a new model of Metal Gear, as well as picked up an unusual energy fluctuation in Manhattan. You know, by the bridge you jumped off a few years ago, breaking my stealth suit that I worked so hard on?"

"Yeah, yeah. I told you I was sorry a dozen time, now get to the point!"

"Right. This anomaly could be related to the new Metal Gear. I need you to investigate it. I have some gear laid-"

"Otacon?"

"Um, yes Snake?"

"I'm going to lie down, and go back to sleep, and you are going to send Raiden on this mission. Kid's good enough for something like this anyway."

"Snake! Wait! Raiden's too new to PHILANTHROPY, he can't do this!"

"Otacon! The kid's kept pace with me, snuck all over the Big Shell facility avoiding detection, guarded your sister-"

"Please don't bring that up, Snake."

"Fought off multiple Metal Gear RAY's, defeated Solidus in one on one combat, AND, he's got that cyber ninja get-up that you've been working on. Let him get even more experience, and me get some sleep."

"But Snake-!"

-CLICK-

"Okay, Raiden," Hal Emmerich, AKA Otacon, said. "You know your objectives?"

"Yes," Raiden replied, suiting up in his new cyborg ninja outfit. "PO (Primary Objective) one, get to the bridge and find the source of the energy flux. PO two, gather as much information about the cause and source of the flux, and any and all possible ties to the new Metal Gear it has. PO three, stay concealed. SO (Secondary Objective), capture and/or dispose of the cause of the flux."

"Good. Now, over here are your weapons. We have one high frequency blade, katana style sword with sheath re-enforced with a kevlar weave, one M9 Tranquilizer pistol, five clips of tranquilizer ammunition, two suppressers for the M9, four first aid kits that attach to links built in to the limbs of the suit, one digital camera capable of holding up to ten images, one pair of ten times zoom binoculars, and one tactical helmet to go with the suit. The sliding face shield can project an image of what you'd normally see so as not to obstruct your vision. It is also capable of generating a HUD which will tell you of any abnormalities with your suit, weather or not you're bleeding, how many possible enemies are around you, and how much ammo you have."

Raiden picked up his stuff as they were listed. When he picked up the helmet, he put it on.

"Sweet!" he declared as he got used to the green hue and his HUD.

"Move out, Raiden!" Otacon shouted, snapping Raiden out of his amusement.

Sheik appeared on the altar next to her prison, the princess, or rather, queen, Zelda. She had recalled long ago saying that her body and skill may be called on in the future. That was right before she had died. And while she said she could help in the future, she never said she'd be awakened and held in someone's mind long after a crisis had passed. And now that she'd been released after her long hiatus, she saw nothing but blinding light. Next she knew, she was outside in the rain. Looking around, she saw beams of steel rising and falling in a pattern on two ends of an extremely large bridge hanging over an expanse of water. Paying closer attention, she saw many carriages flying by without horses, yet no one was panicking.

"This place is weird."

Turning around, she saw a crate with the lid slightly open. Moving closer, Sheik removed the lid and found a cloak, umbrella, and a book. Putting on the cloak and opening the umbrella, Sheik took the book and started walking down the sidewalk. Fiddling with the handle of the umbrella, she found a switch to produce a stand for it. Sheik sat down and began reading the book. On the inside cover, there was a message for her.

'Sheik, we the Goddesses have sent you to a distant era to prevent a catastrophe. There is someone capable of averting the problems here, but there is an ancient evil from your era who has traveled here in an attempt to increase the issues, and plunge the world into darkness.'

"Must be Ganondorf again," Sheik thought aloud.

'It is not Ganondorf as you may think, though he is involved. For now, he's sent a scout to do the hard part and open a portal allowing him entrance to this era. If his plans succeed, your troubles will double if not triple. Link will not be able to help you, there is no Master Sword, and if you fail, the world will be forfeit to the King of Evil.'

"How original."

Raiden had reached the bridge and saw a few people walking and driving in cars. Nothing out of the ordinary, except a homeless person over there.

'_Maybe they saw something,'_

He began moving through the beams, staying out of any light. As he drew nearer to the homeless person, Raiden noticed a strange book. Taking out his binoculars, he zoomed in and found he couldn't read the cover. He took out the digital camera, and took a snap shot. Hooking it to the gizmo on his left wrist, he opened nanocommunications with Otacon and sent his picture.

"Good, Raiden," Otacon said. "I'll begin deciphering immediately. Stay on that person but don't be seen."

"Roger. Beginning trail."

As Sheik read on, she began feeling the presence of another nearby. Fearing the worst, she shut the book and started walking away. After a few minutes past the bridge and a few random turns, she made a conclusion.

'Yup, they're following me.'

"Where is this guy going?" Raiden asked himself. "He must be going somewhere important if he's taking such an unusual route."

He decided to call it in.

"Otacon, do you know where this guy's going?"

"_I have no clue. Listen, I think I've just about cracked the language. If you find anything else, important, call."_

"Right."

As he continued the trail, the stranger began to run.

"Huh?"

'What do they want?' Sheik thought as she ran down an ally. 'Gotta give 'em the slip.'

She saw a side ally and turned only to come to a dead end. Looking around, she saw a discarded brown box. Seeing the underside was opened, she lifted it and hid underneath.


	2. Elusion

Raiden leaped from building to building, tracking the subject as they ran. "He knows I'm following him." He saw the runner turn and followed only to find an empty ally. He approached the end of the ally and noticed the two spots the person could hide; the dumpster, or the cardboard box. Knowing Snake as well as he did, he lifted the box. "Gotcha! Huh?" The box was empty. Raiden looked at his HUD, but there was nothing. "Otacon! I've lost the trail!" _"WHAT! Raiden! You have to find that person! They ran! That means they know something!"_ Raiden couldn't make sense of this. "Well, only one other solution." He lifted the dumpster lid only to find the contents consisted of nothing but garbage. "DAMN!" With that, he left, jumping to the roof.

Sheik was glad she opted out at the last second for the dumpster, hiding behind it. Her follower had looked under the box first, then inside the dumpster, but not around it. 'Fool' she thought. She relaxed and opened the book again and continued reading, learning more about her mission. As the sun began to rise, Sheik realized she needed sleep.

[Back at the PHILANTHROPY HQ (A rented house in NY).]

"Raiden! How could you lose them with all the devices I gave you?" Otacon was a little pissed. Not so much because their only real lead had eluded them as much as because Raiden was blaming his equipment. "If you don't like how I did," Raiden yelled, pissed because Otacon had practically called him incompetent. "Than why didn't you send Snake on that errand?" Otacon looked him square in the eye. "Because he said you were good enough to take on such an important mission. He said you could get a bit more experience with this mission, seeing as how it's an extension of sneaking missions, he figured you would have minimal problems getting results," Otacon explained, emphasizing the word 'mission.' Raiden was taken aback. "Snake said all that?" "Not word for word, but that was the message of his statement. What he actually said was, well just listen." Otacon flipped a switch on a computer and Raiden heard a recording of Snake's voice on his CODEC. _"Y__ou are going to send Raiden on this mission. Kid's good enough for something like this__"_ Raiden was silent. "You see Raiden, I was going to send Snake, but he had his faith in you. If you want yell at someone about who should've been sent, yell at your hero." "…Snake said that?"

The sun was at high center when Sheik woke up. Stretching the stiffness out of her limbs, she began walking out of the ally, looking for the ones she was supposed to help. That would prove difficult, however, as she was getting hungry and had no money. She walked into a small shop, concocting a plan to get some food. She walked up to the person at the counter who looked at them quite concerned about something. "Hey, man. I don't want any trouble," the man asked. "What do you want?" Sheik was confused at his actions but, seeing he thought he was a man (proving that her disguise worked fully), she said in a deep voice, "I simply would like a meal. What do you sell here?" The man looked at her, somewhat baffled. "Uh, we sell Chinese food. What did you want?" He directed her eyes to the food. "I have no money. Could I trade a possession for the meal?" "What?!" The man seemed a bit outraged. "Trade?! Hell no!" Sheik was a little disappointed but tried again. "Perhaps I could do some work around here for it?" "No!" the man shouted. "Either you buy something with cash, or leave and stop wasting my time!" Sheik could see he was not a charitable man and had begun reaching for her dagger, concealed under her cloak, when a stranger came up. "What seems to be the problem here?" The counter-man looked at the stranger and shouted, "This bum thinks he can sweet talk me into skipping the bill!" The stranger looked Sheik over and said, "What if I paid for the meal?" The man looked a little annoyed, but at this point he didn't care as long as someone paid for something. Sheik thanked the stranger and took a bowl and plate over to the food table. He felt the stranger pat him on the back lightly as a sign of slight friendship. This guy was alright. Filling the bowl with rice, she grabbed some random bits of chicken and an egg roll for the plate. Sitting down, she requested some chop sticks and began to dine.

Snake had gone out for some breakfast that morning at 10:17 after hearing about Raiden's failure. He'd taken the recording from the helmet cam and had been analyzing it at his table at a local food joint when he noticed a disturbance at the counter. Putting away the device, he walked over to the two arguing and asked, "What seems to be the problem here?" The clerk shouted, "This bum thinks he can sweet talk me into skipping the bill!" Snake looked at the cloaked person and noticed something unusual about him. For one, he had a knife braided into his rat-tail. Another thing was his shoes. They seemed very ancient in design. Snake would have to keep an eye on him. "What if I paid for the meal?" The clerk seemed a little annoyed but yelled, "Fine!" He then left out back for a smoke break. Snake looked back to the stranger and heard him mumble his thanks. As he turned to get food, Snake lightly patted him on the back, slipping a beacon transmitter on his back. Going back to his table, he took another look at Raiden's pursuit. He had his man. And so simply too.

"RAIDEN! GET DOWN HERE!" Raiden snapped to alertness hearing Otacon yell for him. After dreaming of Africa again, he feared the worst and came running downstairs in his underwear armed with FAMAS. "Raiden! Put that away! We're not under attack. Just come here. Look." He pointed to a red blip on a computer screen. "Snake found your target and put a transmitter on him." "Yeah, don't rub it in." "Raiden, I'm not. I'm suggesting you suit up again and find this guy. Show Snake he was right to put his trust in you. I'll get some coffee to help keep me awake a bit more. I've taken a break from deciphering for now, so I'll be a bit more helpful this time. …Sorry about last night." Raiden was halfway to the lab when he heard that. "It's alright! Just help me this time!" he called back.

Sheik had a full stomach and thanked the stranger once more with a nod before leaving. It seemed she'd have to acquire currency to get anywhere here. Fishing through her possessions, she found her harp. Seeing many people walking along the sidewalks here and there, she decided she'd try the most basic technique of urban survival known as 'singing for one's supper.' Opening her umbrella, she set it upside down and sat down next to it. Pulling out her harp, she began plucking notes. Every now and then, a passerby would drop some change in the umbrella. After a few hours of this, her hands begun to hurt so she called it quits for now. Finding a back she turned in her change and now had seven dollars.

_(Please enjoy the music while your party is reached. "Kana shi e hodo, hikari da shi da. Shino e yami, ki ri sagu, tsuba sa ni nare…") (Click.) "Hello?"_ "Hal, this is Dave." _"What are you doing calling on a cell?" _"Later. I've located the target and have placed a beacon on him. Send Raiden and-" _"Three steps ahead of you Sn-uh, Dave."_ "Good. I'll be by to pick up some gear. Have everything laid out." (Click.)

Sheik had been playing for what seemed like an eternity. After learning the value of the currency here and seeing the prices for some local clothes, she realized just how useless seven dollars is. She'd play for about an hour, take a break, count her change, and play some more. It was hard on her fingers, but she prayed it would be worth it. After a few hours of this, she felt a familiar presence nearby. Packing up, she put on her cloak and headed down an ally. Making a few turns, she reappeared on another street and moved with the masses.

"Otacon, this is Raiden. Target is moving, repeat target is moving. I'm tailing him from the buildings. Where's Snake?" _"Raiden, Snake just left and will be there in a few minutes. I want you to find out where he's going and don't you dare lose him."_ "Right, right…" Raiden saw the beacon on his mini-map and followed it. Being sure not to reveal himself, he trailed the signal for about fifteen minutes before it was stationary. Seeing it was down another ally, he activated the stealth-camouflage device and entered. Moving down the ally, Raiden had only one thought. 'What is it with this guy and alleys?' Turning a corner, he saw the cloak lying on the ground, his target nowhere around. Rushing over and searching the cloak, he found the transmitter. "Damn!" Raiden dropped the cloak and was about to call it in. Suddenly, his radar flashed. 'Behind me!' Raiden flipped out of the way just as a figure had punched where his body had been with a fist full of sharp objects. "Found you!" he yelled.


	3. Capture

As Sheik ran down the empty ally, she heard a noise. Inaudible at first, but then she began to be annoyed by it. _Beep, beep, beep_. She stopped and took off her cloak. Sure enough, there was something on it. It was tiny, barely noticeable, but there. A small red light flickered off it in time with the beeping. Dropping the cloak, she hid behind a trash-can. As she lay in wait for her follower, she saw the strangest thing. Her cloak began floating. She started thinking magic, but then noticed it was in a grip. Electricity began forming around the cloak, and a figure appeared, holding the cloak. He looked very mechanical and skilled, armed with a katana. He dropped the cloak and turned his back to her. Pulling out one of her dagger-needles, Sheik snuck out from behind the can and charged him, hoping to drop him here and now. He knew she was there. He turned and dodged the attack. Looking to her, he yelled from behind his mask, "Found you!" Sheik threw the needle and, when the man/machine blocked it, charged with her short sword draw. He drew his katana and matched her move for move. She knew she couldn't win, so she sheathed her blade and jumped to the roof of one of the buildings and ran. He began his pursuit, catching up rapidly. "He's not normal…" she thought aloud.

'Why is this guy running?' This was one of Raiden's many thoughts as he pursued his target. He began loosing him, so he activated the cyber-limbs of the suit, soon gaining inhuman speed. As he caught up with the strange fighter, he used his target aid in his helmet and struck him on a small point of the neck, rendering him unconscious. Flipping on his CODEC, he radioed Snake.

Snake was driving the 'company car', an old, rusty Chevy pick-up. He'd been following Raiden on a GPS, augmented by Otacon, when he heard said 'hot-shot' on his CODEC. _"Snake! This is Raiden! Do you copy?"_ "This is Snake, go ahead." _"Snake! Great news! I have captured the target. Requesting extraction from the ally by 33__rd__ and Sunny View."_ "Roger. I'll be by a few minutes. Stay hidden and keep your prisoner incapacitated." Snake started speeding a little, hoping to get there before he was needed. He couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride in Raiden. "Good job, kid."

'_Sheik. Sheik. Wake up. You still have a mission.' 'Have you found the Metal Gear unit yet? Metal Gear, Metal Gear, Metal Gear, Metal-'_ "Ah!" Sheik sat upright so quickly, blood rushed to her head and she collapsed back down onto the bed she was on. Where was she? How did she get here? Who was that man/machine? A million questions race through her mind at once, all without answers. Looking around, she was in a white room with one door and no windows. An odd white chair sat in the corner opposite the bed she sat on, and nothing else. She had no resources, no idea where she was or how she got there, where she could go, or how to get there. Checking her person, she found she was also without weapons. Even her harp was gone. After a few minutes in the room with nothing to do, the door opened and in walked a man with long blonde hair and some type of strange, black crossbow. Along with him, there was a man with graying brown hair wearing a long, white coat and glasses, unarmed. "What is your name?" he asked. "My name is Sheik," she replied. "Uh-huh. And where are you from?" "I am everywhere. I wander." The man began writing it all down on a clipboard. "And, what does that symbol-" he pointed to her Sheikah emblem on her shirt. "-mean? Is it religious? Ancestral? Tribal?" "It is the sign of my people." Sheik was getting rather annoyed. "Why do you care?" she demanded. "I'm just doing my job. I don't mean to offend. Now, if you'll let me run a few medical tests, just to make sure you weren't injured during your delivery here, I can get this done a lot faster." Sheik decided to cooperate, for now. It was only because she was unarmed. The man took her blood pressure, took her temperature, made her follow the light, and a few other miner things. He seemed to know what he was doing. The blonde-haired man had left a few minutes ago, trusting the two not to fight. "By the way," the man said. "My name is Hal Emmerich. I'll bring you some food in about an hour. If you need anything, just press that button over there by the door to contact me." With that, he got up and left.

Otacon walked up the stairs, going over his notes. "Any info on the new Metal Gear, Otacon?" Looking up from his board, he saw Snake. "No, not yet. He's still getting settled. I told him I'd be back with some food later." Snake nodded and left for the television, hoping something other than reality shows and news was on. Working on the strange text Raiden had sent him almost a day ago, Otacon almost lost track of time and started fixing a quick meal for their new guest. It was microwavable macaroni and cheese, some toast, and a Jones soda, but it would have to do. Moving down the stairs with the tray, he almost dropped it when the lights flickered off and on. At first, he thought it was another power flux in the building's crappy wiring. But when he opened the cell door at the bottom of the stairs, he saw Sheik laying on the floor, spasming from an electrical shock.

Sheik was getting bored and hungry. It seemed forever since she'd talked with that man, Hal. As she paced back and forth, her mind began to wander. What if he wasn't coming back? What if they were just going to let her starve and rot here? What if, what if, what if. It was taking its toll on her, and she began looking for a way out. She remembered the button next to the door, which, she found out a while ago, was locked and securely in place. She wouldn't be able to break it down. She opened the panel the button was mounted in and began fiddling with the wires. She just about had the thing figured out when a noise from above startled her, causing her to break one of the wires. All of a sudden, she felt excruciating pain fly through her entire body.

Setting down the food, Otacon looked to the panel by the door that held the button he'd pointed out earlier that had been popped open and fiddled with. A wire had broken and electrocuted Sheik. It was a big shock, too. It had caused the house to surge for a second. He began removing Sheik's top half of clothing, hoping to hear a heartbeat more clearly. "Snake! Raiden! Someone bring my first aid kit!" he yelled. He finally managed to remove the eye-symbol rag and had put his ear to her chest. "Shit." Hearing nothing he began to take off the tight, blue undershirt. Snake and Raiden ran down the stairs, Raiden with the first aid kit. "What happened?!" Snake shouted. "Later." Otacon answered. Once the blue shirt was off, they noticed a black body suit made of rubber, or something like it. Removing it, they saw something that shocked them all. Under the body suit, Sheik wore bandages over her chest, in order to hide something. "He's a SHE?" Raiden gasped. Snapping out of his thoughts, Otacon took the first aid kit and began treating for shock. "Later Raiden." He put his ear to her chest and heard a heartbeat. A good sign, but it was beating too fast. There was also a burn on her right hand. "Raiden, dress her hand. It's burned." Otacon braced himself for what he was about to do. To slow down her heart rate, he had to breathe for her. Plugging her nose, he put his mouth to hers and began taking deep, slow breaths, breathing into her. After about ten breaths, he checked her heart rate. It had gone down considerably. Looking back to her face, she'd passed out and was sleeping.


	4. PHILANTHROPY

Sheik woke up on the bed again, but this time, she didn't jump up. Instead, she just lay there, her whole body feeling a blend between numb and sore. She felt something else though. She felt cooler. Almost as if… Sheik's eyes went wide with the realization that she was missing half her attire. Looking around her, she saw Hal and immediately covered herself. Upon closer inspection, she noticed wires taped to certain parts of her torso, running up to a nearby computer. "What are you doing to me Hal?!" she demanded. "Relax," he said. "You received an electrical shock and were burned, as well as put into shock. Your heart rate was abnormally high, and you were rendered immobile." Otacon looked at her with concern. "I was just coming down to deliver your food when it happened. What were you doing in that electrical box?" Sheik matched Otacon's worried gaze with her own, slightly shameful one. And for the first time in a long while, she used her own voice instead of her masked one. "I though, that you people had left me to starve. I was trying to escape." Otacon showed understanding in his expression. "I guess, looking at it from your perspective, I'd probably have done the same. You're just lucky I found you so soon." Checking the monitors, he seemed content. "Alright let's get you unhooked and-" he paused as he reached for the wires on her torso and blushed a bit. "Uh, just grab a corner and peel those off." Sheik got the idea with the tape and pealed them off. "Where are my clothes?" she asked. "Over there." He pointed to a large, white box sitting in a corner, rumbling a bit. "They're being washed. When I took them off to hear your heart better, they sorta, fell in the food." "…Oh. Hey, I know there's other people here, but do you think you could keep, you know, me, being a girl and all, you think you could keep it secret?" Sheik had been praying no one would find out at all. "Well, I don't know how to say this delicately," he started. "So I'll just come out and say it. There are three of us living here, and I asked both Raiden and Snake to help me when I found you on the ground, and, well, we all found out at the same time." Sheik just sat there, not knowing what to think. Three guys she didn't know living here, and they all knew she was a girl. Further more, they'd probably seen her naked. Add to the fact that she still had no clue where _here_ was, and to say she was uncomfortable would be more than an understatement. _(BUUUZZZZZ!)_ Sheik practically jumped at the dryer's buzzer.

Otacon had gotten a chuckle out of Sheik's reaction to the dryer. Going over to the machine outside the cell, he retrieved her clothes and brought them over to a rack to cool for a few minutes. Coming back, he began remembering why she was here. "Sheik, have you ever heard of Metal Gear?" She looked at him with a look crossed between recognition and disknowledge. "Metal Gear?" she asked. "Never heard of it. What is it?" Otacon looked disappointed. "Well," he started. "It's a giant machine created by a company that makes weapons. In the late 1940's AD, there was a research program conducted, known as the Manhattan Project. They discovered how to split an atom, the smallest particle in existence that makes up everything from that bed you're on, to these lights above you, even people are made up of atoms. Anyway, these researchers found that if you split an atom, the energy released would cause a massive explosion of unimaginable power, capable of destroying entire cities and disintegrating people. The Manhattan Project allowed us to harness this energy and control it. It made a weapon called the Atomic Bomb. With it, we won the Second World War. Now, all these years later, many countries have built atomic and nuclear weapons. Currently, scientists are trying to harness the energy of a nuclear reaction and turn it into usable power to replace electricity. But there are still those who see nuclear power as atomic weaponry. Those people have built ever-improving models of nuclear equipped bi-pedal tanks. These code-named 'Metal Gear' units have been causing the world untold problems. We here at PHILANTHROPY, a non-governmental organization or, NGO, work to eliminate Metal Gear units wherever they spring up." Sheik looked bewildered by all the new information. "There was a World War?" she asked, dumbfounded. "Two. The world was in a state of paranoia and, well, one country attacked another and it went from there. Then, a few years later, a man in Germany rose to power and preached bigotry and hate and low and behold, the Second World War." Sheik finished taking it all in and remembered something. "Where's my equipment?" "Oh, it's upstairs. I think I can let you out of this cell now. C'mon." After letting her get dressed, Otacon led Sheik up the stairs and let her look around.

As Sheik looked around, she felt overwhelmed with something like culture shock. Discovering the TV, microwave, toaster, and other devices, she was soon acting like a small child rather than a veteran warrior. Poking and prodding, she made attempts at finding all the objects functions. After she'd had her fill of exploration, she was lead to a room where all her weapons lay sprawled out on a table. Taking inventory, she found everything to be there. Book, short sword, needle-daggers, chain, money pouch, harp, and spare strings. "Um, Sheik?" Otacon uttered, standing in the doorway. "That book you have, I can't read a word of it. I've been trying to crack the code for a while now. You think you could tell me what it says?" Sheik could see the genuine love of information and study in his eyes. "On one condition," she said. "What might that be?" As Sheik opened her mouth to reply, her stomach took over the conversation, letting out a very loud growl. Flushed with embarrassment, she broke eye contact and turned around, saying, "Get me something to eat, and I'll consider letting you know what it says." Otacon, hiding his amusement behind a hand, nodded and left for the kitchen. After about half an hour, Sheik had settled down in the living room and discovered the radio. Fidgeting with the dial, she found a station playing music. When Otacon finally came out with her meal, more macaroni and cheese and a Jones, he found her listening to Bon Jovi singing _'You Give Love A Bad Name'_. "Judging by the harp you have, I never would've thought you'd be listening to Hair Metal," Otacon commented. "Here's your food. Snake and Raiden must've gone for groceries, they should be back in an hour or so." Sheik took the plate and gorged till it was gone. "That was delicious. What is it?" she asked. "It's Easy Mac, microwavable macaroni and cheese. It's really nothing special. The instructions on the package say to add water, but I use milk. More flavor that way." Sheik was astounded that something so simple could taste so good.

Snake and Raiden had gone for groceries upon hearing Sheik was stable. That, and when Raiden had noticed the fridge was empty. Coming back, they saw Sheik and Otacon stooped over the strange book, along with a bunch of papers, talking about something. "So, what you're saying is that every character is a letter, right? You know, as opposed to other languages where characters are words." "Yes, that's right. And this passage tells us that," Otacon looked the passage over. "That… Machines will be the unmaking of society?" "That's right!" "Hey, this paragraph sounds like it's talking about the Metal Gear lineage! Look!" This grabbed Snake's attention. "Hey! Otacon! What's that about Metal Gear?" Otacon and Sheik jumped a bit as Snake made his presence known. "Hey Snake. Welcome back. I was just learning what this book of hers says. Here we go…"

'In the nineteen hundredth ninety-fifth year of the memory of the King, the One-Eyed Lord of War will recall the designs of the Thunderbolt and bring about an attempt to destroy his son with giant, metal, humanoid creatures with no souls. He will fail more than once, and in death, he shall trigger off spring of the machines to bring the world into darkness and decay.'

Snake took in the information and recalled the stories of the legendary soldier, Big Boss, how he was sent to the USSR in the Cold War to please The Patriots and eliminate his mentor, The Boss. He had fought off the elite Cobra Unit, recovered the Philosopher's Legacy, and destroyed The Shagohad, The Treading Behemoth. He also recalled the story of South America, how Big Boss had formed the Foxhound Unit to hunt down members of his renegade Fox Unit, met Snake's CO, Col. Campbell, and destroyed the first model in the Black Tech Metal Gear weapon line, and it's prototype, Metal Gear RAXA. Snake then recalled the words, _nineteen hundredth ninety-fifth year_, "1995…" "What was that, Snake?" Otacon asked, puzzled by the simple digits. "Otacon, that passage is about the Outer Heaven Crisis. The One-Eyed Lord of War, that's Big Boss. Thunderbolt, that was the nickname of a GRU Col. in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He had a device similar to Metal Gear. Big Boss tried to use his Metal Gear units to kill me, and Liquid wanted his remains, threatening to use REX. Similar case with Ocelot back in '07 with RAY. Solidus wanted the remains too, and he had mass-produced RAY's as well as Arsenal Gear." Otacon looked over the passage again and was shocked at how accurate this book was. "We need to know more. Maybe this book will lead us to the new models." They brought in the groceries and began studying, filling Sheik in as the details arose.

"_Sheik. You have made great progress here." That was Din! Where was she? Sheik looked around, but only found darkness. "You may not have enough time left to figure this mystery out by yourself. We will help you." All of a sudden, a giant map rose up just under Sheik's feet. "You are here." Din's voice said, indicating where by New York flashing. "This man you have met, the one who fought these machines? His first area of encounter shall be the focus of this menace. Find out where that was, and you shall know where to look."_ Sheik snapped her eyes open and shot out of bed. Technically, it was Raiden's bed, but he was out somewhere with a woman named Rosemary, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Running down the stairs to Otacon's lab, she was remembering her dream and what she was supposed to ask. "Hal! Hal!" she cried out, entering the lab. Screens lit the whole room in an eerie glow. "What is it, Sheik?" "Hal! I know where you can find your Metal Gears! It came to me in my dream! Din was there, and she showed me a map of this land. She said that the new machines would be where Snake's first encounter was. Wherever that was, that is where the new ones will be." Otacon just sat there in his chair, looking back at her. "Din? Is that your Patron Diety?" Sheik was a little pissed off but explained calmly. "Din is one of the Three Goddesses of Creation. She is the Goddess of Power and all matter in existence.. Nayru is the Goddess of Wisdom, life and love, responsible for granting all the races thought and life. Farore is the Goddess of Courage, law and order. She is responsible for bringing order to the world and the creation of laws." Hal just sat there staring at her. After a moment, he snapped out of his stupor and realized what she'd been talking about. "Snake's first encounter, right? That would be the old Outer Heaven fortress in Africa."


	5. Adaptation

[Africa, Former Outer Heaven Base]

A young man in his late twenties strode through the abandoned rogue military instillation as if it were a museum. In a sense, it was. A museum of a failed attempt to defy The Patriots. After wandering for four days in the African summer heat, he'd begun to think he would die. Then he found this place. If the walls could speak, they'd have a field day telling the tale of the events that took place here sixteen years ago. Here, where the legendary Solid Snake became a legend, where a nuclear threat came so near to being carried out, where the settled ashes were once burning shrapnel in a firefight between organic and metallic. This is where it started, and this is where he would finish it. As he walked among the decayed wreckage, which seemed frozen in time, he began thinking of one man. "Solid Snake. I will destroy you." He looked upon the scrap that used to be a nuclear killing device and smiled such a wicked smile, psychotic killers would think twice before looking him in the eye. A burst of static sounded from his pocket. Pulling out a small radio, he opened the link. _"Sir, do you read me? This is Lieutenant Seville. Are you out there? Over!"_ "This is Josef Sears. I here you, Lieutenant. Over." _"President Sears! Is that you? What's your 20? Come back."_ "I'm at Big Boss's Tomb." _"…Outer Heaven? You've found it?"_ "That's a definite 10-4. Requesting a crew to come and clean this place up. I want to use this base. Over." _"Mr. Sears, while you're the president and founder of the Black Tech division of Nagno Industries, I can't permit you to utilize a facility such as that to test your weapons."_ "…" _"… Sir?"_ "Lieutenant, _you_ may be active military, but _I_ am you current commander. If I tell you to form a team to rebuild this base, then I expect you to OBEY!" Silence was all for a few seconds, followed by a reluctant, _"Yes sir."_ The man, Josef Sears, put his radio away and continued inspecting the metal that nearly ended a thousand lives and more. He reached down in the dirt, grabbing a fistful and let it run through his fingers, wondering if he should rebuild it, or start a new model project. He noticed the way some of it would clump together and he decided. Then a thought came to mind. Yes, he would start a new line, and one word passed his crooked lips. "CLAY…" He would call it, "Metal Gear CLAY."

A few days had gone by and the guys began to notice something very important about Sheik. Raiden had been the first to notice and put very bluntly, "She's starting to smell like a dude." At first this had been amusing, but soon after, it had become fact. Sheik was starting to smell a bit gamy, and she had been bathing twice a day since she had left the cell in the basement. One day, Otacon approached her with a solution. "Sheik," he said. "I think it's time you got some new clothes. If not for the smell of wearing the same thing every day, than at least to blend in here." So they went off to a mall, along with Snake and Raiden.. When they got there, Sheik's eyes lit up at all there was to see. She did feel a little awkward wearing clothes given to her by Raiden's girlfriend. Not only were they a bit uncomfortable, but they were also a little big. After checking out a few stores, they came to one that made Otacon loose it. "Where are you two going?!" he yelled at Snake and Raiden. Turning, Raiden said, "We're going in a store to get her something to wear." Otacon pulled them aside and whispered, "Do you have any idea what store you were about to go into?" Snake and Raiden started laughing. They didn't even answer him as they took Sheik into the store. Otacon meanwhile sat at the bench just outside, waiting for them to leave Victoria's Secret.

Later that day, Sheik had gotten comfortable in her new clothes. She bought something for every day of the week. Though she only planned on wearing about half of it. She was wearing tight fitting blue jeans with a slim, black belt and black breast band. She had a few shirts, but she was starting to like how she looked. She stopped wearing her body suit about an hour after returning from the mall and soon ditched the shirt.


	6. Change of Scenery

Otacon had been at his computer for the last few days and the door had a sign that Snake told her said 'Do Not Disturb.' After leaving him in there for so long, she gave up and asked Snake. "What's he doing in there?" Snake looked up from the TV and said, "Trust me, girl. Just leave him be." Sheik walked over to the door and grabbed the handle. "Ow!" Snake looked over the chair and yelled, "I told you to trust me! He runs a current through the knob! There's no getting in there!" Sheik left to find Raiden. She wanted to know more about that suit he had. She was just getting the idea of how it worked and was about to try it on when she heard Otacon shut the current off his door. Running down the stairs, she twisted the knob, and slammed into the door, falling backwards. "Locked," she muttered. Otacon opened the door and stared at her. "What are you doing?" he asked, helping her up. "What were you doing in there for so long?" she asked back. "I was doing us all a favor. I guess I kind of lied when I said the government doesn't help us. I just transferred a few thousand dollars to the PHILANTHROPY bank account from the national treasury in order to buy tickets to Africa, near the old Outer Heaven base. We leave first thing in the morning. Get packed tonight." With that, he walked off to the kitchen.

Sheik had been told to not say anything while at the airport. She'd been watching TV and learned about airport security and had been asking about how they were going to get through with not only her stuff such as, harp aside, her needle daggers, chain, short sword, and flash powder, but their stuff as well. "Snake," she said. "How do you expect to get all these guns, grenades, ammunition, equipment, and Raiden's suit and katana through security." Snake was about to answer when Otacon approached, saying, "You just worry about staying silent. I'll worry about security." As they stood in line, Sheik saw luggage go through a scanning device and looked inside. A few people got stopped with musical instruments, and this caused her to worry. "No one lays a hand on my harp," she muttered to herself, causing the others to glance at her. Raiden went through a metal detector and it beeped, causing Sheik to look up from her day dreaming. He forked over small, black box and a few seconds later it was returned to him. Snake went through and nothing happened. Otacon was next, but he stopped and placed his belt, glasses, and a necklace into a box before going through. Nothing happened, and he reclaimed his possessions. Sheik took a deep breath and walked through. The thing beeped and security guards moved in on her. The others began moving toward her, but were held back by another guard. They began waving a black stick over her body that made a noise when it passed her hair. Someone went behind her and grabbed her hair, causing her to turn and grab the man. The other security guards held her arms, shouting. One of them pulled his gun out and trained it on her. "Hold still and cooperate!" he yelled. One of the guards undid her braid on the back of her head and pulled out a knife that she kept in there at all times, save for when she slept indoors. "What's this?" he demanded, putting the knife in front of her. "Sir!" Raiden yelled. "It's part of her culture! That's a ceremonial hair piece!" The guard looked the knife over and noticed intricate designs on the blade. Going over the handle, the hilt caught his attention. Upon the hilt, the Sheikah Eye was engraved between Hylian symbols. He figured he'd let it pass. "Okay, but it stays in the hair! Got it?" Sheik was about to answer, but Snake called over, saying, "Sir, she doesn't speak English!" He pointed to the knife, than to her hair, back to the knife, and than back to her hair before giving it back to her. As he walked away, Sheik heard him muttering, "I'm gonna lose my job with all these wackos." She looked to find their luggage and saw it was already through the scanner. On the plane, she went to restroom and re-braided her hair into a tail. The flight was uneventful and the movie sucked.


End file.
